The 'Top Girlband Single of the '80s' Has Been Streamed Over 400 Million Times
- - The 'Top Girlband Single of the '80s' Has Been Streamed Over 400 Million Times
Jacqueline Burt CoteJanuary 7, 2026 at 8:58 PM
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Photo by Clayton Call on Getty Images
When it comes to catchy hits, there's no question that the '80s was a particularly charmed decade. There was no shortage of danceable tunes on the radio at all times, and many of the most popular anthems of the time featured female vocalists, from Madonna to Cyndi Lauper to Whitney Houston and so many others.
As Classic Pop magazine pointed out, it was also a fabulous time for "girlbands," which is why the outlet decided to rank the "top girlband singles of the '80s" (a daunting task, to be sure).
The top 10 tracks on the list included some undeniable bangers (to use a term that became popular decades later). At #10 was Salt-N-Pepa's 1987 raunchy hip hop masterpiece "Push It," which broke ground for so many female artists to come. Coming in at #9 was a massive hit for The Go-Go's: "Vacation," from the 1982 album of the same name.
Since Classic Pop is a British magazine, some of the other entries on the list won't be as familiar to U.S. listeners; for example, Dutch three-piece girl group Mai Tai's "History" was listed at #8, pop duo Mel & Kim's "Respectable" was ranked #3, and "You're History" by Shakespears Sister nabbed the #2 spot.
But at the very top of the list was a song that stormed the charts all over the world — especially in the U.S.: "Eternal Flame" by The Bangles.
"Co-written with the songwriting team behind similarly dramatic ballads by Cyndi Lauper (True Colors) and Heart (Alone), Eternal Flame was a marked departure from the new wave uptempo material that launched The Bangles to fame," wrote Classic Pop's Jon O'Brien, adding, "There’s hardly any drums for one thing, much to the frustration of manager Miles Copeland who believed the public weren’t quite ready for a beatless Bangles. Yet the track, partly inspired by a private tour of Graceland, became the quartet’s biggest hit, topping the charts on both sides of the Atlantic."
In a testament to the song's enduring popularity, decades after its 1989 release, "Eternal Flame" is still getting plenty of attention: At the time of this writing, the song has been streamed 465,187,464 times on Spotify.
Related: Rarely-Seen '80s Pop Star, 66, Is 'So Beautiful' in New Video
This story was originally published by Parade on Jan 8, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
